Ex Voto

I decided recently to revive this blog to share some thoughts on some of my favorite photo books. I'm going to start with Ex Voto by Alys Tomlinson

As a secular person myself it was very interesting to find out that Alys Tomlinson was also secular. One of my parents grew up Catholic and I have a very large non-immediate Catholic family. I have always been drawn to the imagery and iconography of Catholicism and Christianity while not really being part of it (I even have a Virgin Guadalupe tattooed on my arm). Pair that with the fact that Alys Tomlinson shot this with a view camera and black and white film over a period of many years and you got me. This book immediately appealed to me. As for a deeper explanation of the book itself, it follows sites of Christian Pilgrimages throughout Europe. The main sites of pilgrimage are Lourdes in France, Ballyvourney in Ireland and Grabarka in Poland. A lot of the portraits seem to be of nuns and members of the Order of Malta (a sovereign order of Christian hospitallers, military and nobility) among others. The title Ex Voto refers to the notes and votives (voto....votive...latin root words get it?) pilgrims leave at these sights to show their faith.

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